Arch Angel
|rarity = Very Rare |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +30% To Hit Caster ( ) Illusions Immunity Holy Bonus +2 }} The Arch Angel (alt. Archangel) is a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. Arch Angels belong to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. The Arch Angel has a relatively powerful Melee Attack, and good defensive characteristics, but is more importantly an impressive and versatile support unit. Its very presence in an army raises the , and scores of all freindly units (including the Arch Angel itself) by +2 during combat. Furthermore, the Arch Angel can cast spells in battle, using up to in every engagement. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description The Arch Angel is a divine creature, resembling a human with fair skin and blond hair, and dressed in fine flowing white robes - as angels have often been depicted in Christian religious artwork since the middle ages. Two great white wings protrude out the Arch Angel's back, keeping it aloft. The Arch Angel's head is adorned with a halo - a yellowish ring of divine energy. and Arch Angel are visually very similar, though a few differences can easily tell them apart for those that know what to look for.]] The Arch Angel is very hard to distinguish at a glance from a "regular" Angel, but there are several visual differences. Aside from being somewhat larger physically than an Angel, the Arch Angel's longsword glows with divine energy (or possibly some sort of holy flame). Smaller details include longer robes and more distinct wing feathers for the Arch Angel. The image to the right shows the two units side by side. In most monotheistic religions, Arch Angels are seen as God's direct aides, being highest in the hierarchy of Angels. The concept of Arch Angels developed over time from a scant few references to specific named Angels in the bible. The Arch Angel is a . Attack Properties The Arch Angel has a powerful Melee Attack. Although it does not compare well to the attacks made by other top-end Fantastic Units, it is still very dangerous to most units. Its base Melee Strength is , which is increased to during combat by the Arch Angel's own Holy Bonus. With its high bonus To Hit, the Arch Angel will deliver points of "raw" on average with each attack - often enough to destroy a low-tier Normal Unit outright, and inflict substantial damage even on stronger units. Defensive Properties The Arch Angel's Defense score is one of the highest in the game, , which is raised to during combat, thanks to the Holy Bonus. As a result, many enemy units will struggle to harm the Arch Angel, since it can block about points on average from Conventional Damage attacks. It also has , allowing it to take a respectable amount of damage before being destroyed. The Arch Angel also has Illusions Immunity. It can make Defense Rolls as normal when it is struck by Illusion Damage, and is completely immune to several Unit Curses from the Realm. In addition, this ability allows the detection of Invisible enemy units in battles (which can therefore be targeted by spells), and the Arch Angel will suffer no penalty when attacking such opponents. Finally, the Arch Angel possesses a massive Resistance score of , again raised to during combat. As a result, it is almost completely immune to curses and Special Damage attacks - they have to inflict a significant Resistance penalty to even have a chance of affecting the Arch Angel. Spellcasting The Arch Angel possesses the Caster ability with a pool of that is replenished after every battle. In other words, it can spend up to casting its own spells during combat, without using any of its controlling Wizard's or Spell Casting Skill. The Arch Angel has access to every spell that can be cast in combat and, with a total of , can use all but the three most expensive ones ( , , and ): Casting any spell also costs the Arch Angel all of its remaining Movement Allowance for the turn - however much there is left. Therefore, it can only cast one spell per turn, but may move freely before doing so. As long as it has at least 0.5 Movement Points remaining, it can cast a spell - after which its Movement Points are reduced to 0. Other Properties The Arch Angel is one of the fastest-moving units in the game, traveling at a rate of both on the overland map and during combat. Aside from the obvious benefits to using an Arch Angel as a scout, this allows it to easily maneuver across the battlefield, flanking the enemy and picking off units one by one. At the same time, the Arch Angel is also one of the best support units, possessing the Holy Bonus trait with the highest available value: +2. This bestows a set of powerful bonuses to all friendly units on the battlefield, including the Arch Angel itself: * ; * ; * . This significantly increases the power of any army containing an Arch Angel. Larger armies, particularly those containing , will benefit even more from this, as each individual of every unit can make use of the same bonus. However, this ability is not cumulative, so having two or more Arch Angels in an army does not grant more than +2 in each of the above categories. In fact, since it grants the highest improvement available through this effect, the presence of an Arch Angel will make the Holy Bonus of any other unit redundant as long as it is alive. Basic Tactics The Arch Angel benefits the army it is in regardless of what it does in battle - and the larger the army, the more important it becomes to try and keep its bonus in play. Fortunately, the Arch Angel is quite maneuverable in combat, and can usually bypass the enemy's stronger Melee Attackers - engaging their weakest units instead will significantly reduce its chances of taking . Its ability also offers protection from many ground-moving units, making this even easier to accomplish. The Arch Angel can also greatly augment combat spellcasting using its own spells. Its potential to use presents a strong synergy with its Holy Bonus, that can only be surpassed by a Wizard or Hero that can also cast . Alternatively, the Arch Angel can cast either one very strong Unit Enchantment, two spells, or multiple lesser enchantments - some of which, such as , , or , may prove quite useful in certain situations. Enemy Arch Angels Arch Angels are some of the rarest Neutral units in the game. They may occasionally appear in Ancient Temples or Towers of Wizardry, and will either be alone or accompanied by lesser creatures. Arch Angels are usually easier to destroy than the top-tier Fantastic Units of other Realms, mainly because they lack the superior potential of those units. On the other hand, the Arch Angel can cast all sorts of spells to buff itself up, preferring most of the time, which improves its considerable defensive attributes even further. The most dangerous occurrence of an Arch Angel is as part of an army - the larger the army, the harder the battle, as its Holy Bonus will significantly strengthen all other units on its side. Even lowly Normal Units may become terrifyingly powerful thanks to this effect. As such, the primary task in this scenario is usually to destroy the Arch Angel by any means, thereby removing its bonus from the remainder of the enemy units. Ability Overview +30% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Roll. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Caster ( ) * This unit may cast spells during combat, drawing from its own personal pool to do so. * Spellcasting takes up all of the unit's remaining Movement Points for the turn. * The unit may spend up to per battle. Its pool is reset at the end of each battle - assuming the unit survives at all. Illusions Immunity * Illusion Damage inflicted on this unit does not bypass its . The unit gets to make its Defense Rolls as normal. * During combat, this unit will spot all enemy Invisible creatures regardless of how close they are. Those creatures become semi-visible on the screen, and may be targeted by spells like any other unit. * This unit may not be targeted by , , , or . Holy Bonus +2 * During combat, this unit provides , and to each and every friendly unit, including itself. * Holy Bonus does not stack: as long as this unit is alive, no others will exert this effect, as it already provides the maximum available benefit. The Summoning Spell Usage Arch Angel may only be cast overland, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the new Arch Angel unit will appear in the Town currently containing the Wizard's Summoning Circle, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Arch Angel in play, its controller is required to pay an Upkeep Cost of per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's pool at the beginning of each turn while the unit exists. Failure to pay this Upkeep due to lack of will lead to the Arch Angel immediately disappearing, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. However, this upkeep is for the unit, not for the spell: Summoning Spells can not be dispelled by the enemy once cast. Naturally though, if the unit is destroyed, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Cost. Units summoned on the overland map may also be dismissed manually from their unit statistics window the same way as any other overland unit (during their controller's turn, while not in combat). Acquisition As a Very Rare Spell of the Realm, Arch Angel may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbooks. With any less, the spell can normally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Arch Angel to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with books), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, and/or Conjurer Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Arch Angel may not be acquired at the start of the game, regardless of the amount of books selected from the starting picks. It must always be either researched or found. However, a bug exists in the official game, that may occasionally allow Arch Angel to be researched with only books despite its Rarity. This can happen if, and only if, the second Spellbook comes from Treasure, as it then allows a random Very Rare Spell to be researched, which has a flat 10% chance of being this spell. This oversight is corrected in the Unofficial Patch 1.50.